Radiant Light
by LeQuesha
Summary: A girl from our world is reincarnated into the world of magic. With strange creatures, awkward situations, and familiar faces, a new adventure awaits this young girl as her courage is put to the test. [Self-Insert OC]
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER:** Unfortunately, I own nothing except this laptop. Which means I don't own Fairy Tail.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

I really never believed in reincarnation.

If you know me, you would always see me as the cheerful, happy-go-lucky and free-spirited 18 year old Anna. I would always spend my days with a smile, never wasting a moment of my life in anything that would bring me down.

Of course, there would be certain moments of my life where my demeanor could crash down and leave me to sulk. But I always have to smile. My family cared for me, and they're already burdened with too much troubles to bother with me. My friends care too, but I shouldn't show my sadness.

I don't want them to worry about my welfare. They have to worry about themselves, which is why I'm always pressured to smile and act like I'm happy, even though I'm not. I can never free myself from my inner conflicts, neither can I ever find true peace.

That is, until that incident.

Once in every person's life will they experience death. Whether it be quick and painless, or slow and painful, they will experience it. And let me tell you, what a terrifying experience it is.

Death… hm, how do you explain it? I'm not sure how to explain since I can't exactly recall my moments, but I do remember one thing.

Do you know that saying that when you die, all your memories and life experiences flashes before your eyes? I guess whoever said that was right, because right before the blade impaled my chest, I saw my very own life— my memories, my friends, my family, everything— flash in my eyes and disappear.

I suppose my description seemed anti-climatic, but I think you get the gist of it.

At that time, I thought it was the end for me. I couldn't do anything. I was annoyed because I wouldn't be able to complete the list of things I wished to do, but at the same time I was relieved.

I didn't need to force myself anymore. I didn't need to smile, no matter how painful it is. I didn't have to be someone's comfort, even when I was the one who needed the comfort most.

Death was a curse for others.

But for me, death was blissful.

When I finally closed my eyes, darkness surrounded me. It was okay though, I have nothing to worry about anymore. My life's over, so there shouldn't be any worries afterwards, right?

Curiosity was another trait of mine, so I couldn't help but wonder; where will I go after I die? It's strange to go to heaven, and I certainly wouldn't want to go to hell. Perhaps I'll end up somewhere in between? I only hope it's a paradise.

I'm not sure how long I spent in the darkness, but I didn't mind at all. It was relaxing, this darkness. There was no one to pressure me anymore. There was no one to console anymore. There was no one to cause me grief or make me doubt myself! I couldn't ask for anything better.

But my peace was disrupted when I spotted a flash of light. I was surprised, then dismayed. Was I going to another place? Another time? Oh no! I want to stay here! I want to stay! I don't want to go just yet!

The last thing I remember was the light shining ever so brightly than before, and a gentle hand reaching towards me.

* * *

When I snapped back to my senses, I couldn't see anything. It made me think I was still in that black void, only that there was something wrong.

I felt something wrap around me, swinging me back and forth slowly and gently. I know I couldn't see anything, but the hush sounds of a woman's hums and the sounds of a steady and gentle heartbeat assured me that I was alive.

Alive.

I was alive.

How could that happen? I thought I died. I should've died! Why am I alive again? I should be dead. I should be dead! Why… why?!

As if on instinct, a wail escaped my mouth. I was surprised when I heard a baby's cry the same time I wailed. I kept on wailing, no matter how much I want to stop myself, and so did the baby.

The only problem is, it didn't seem as if there were two people crying. No, I clearly heard only one voice crying out. My eyesight maybe hindered, but my hearing is just fine.

A baby-like cry?

Me, being unable to stop myself from crying?

Finally, realization dawned onto me. I was the only one crying. What was devastating was the fact that my cry and voice sounded so much like a baby's.

Oh god.

Am I a baby?

How? How did it happen? Why am I alive, when I'm supposed to be dead? How come?

I couldn't take any more confusion. I started crying, whether I wanted too or not. A warm cloth was draped around my fragile body, and the sounds of a constant melody filled my ears.

I wasn't sure how long I cried, but I did know that throughout the whole time, someone held me in their arms, whispering soothing hushed tones. Eventually, I tired myself out from crying and fell asleep.

When I awoke the next time, I was still surprised to find myself wrapped in the arms of that certain someone. By the way that person exhaled and inhaled, I could tell that she was sleeping.

I wanted to open my eyes, and see who this person really is. But it was already pretty obvious who held me that time.

I hope I can open my eyes soon. I wonder how my mom looks like...

* * *

It was difficult at first to accept my situation.

I mean, would you be able to cope immediately if you find out that you were reincarnated as a baby when you're supposed to be dead?

Sarcasm aside, my days as an infant pass by in a blur. Without myself knowing, I had already grown about half a year old. I was surprised yet again, because my time clock swore that it had only been a few days.

I've been able to open my eyes after a few weeks. As it turns out, I was reincarnated into a world where technology only started to progress. I was also able to finally recognize my mother's face, albeit my vision is a tad bit blurry.

My mom was a beautiful woman with sandy hair and blue eyes. She looked about late twenties or early thirties. She was very beautiful, both inside and out. Not once can I recall a time where she would get mad at me no matter how many tantrums or times I cry like there is no end.

I don't know her name, but my mother was a great person. I never met someone like her. Though I have yet to see my father, it was already enough for me to see her smiling face.

A part of me is guilty for finding a replacement mother in such short notice. But the impulse to love my parents to no end was a trait I was born with before and now. My old parents think I'm dead, but in this world, I was alive.

The thought of being alive… I should be enthusiastic about being able to receive another chance in life. How many people could have this chance? I'm certain only a handful.

But… I can't find the happiness or giddiness to actually be alive. I found comfort in death, because I had no worries. But now that I'm alive, I'll have to start the cycle of smiling every time for everyone all over again.

Sadness brewed inside of me. I don't want to be like that again. I don't want to be like Anna. I'm a new person in this life, whether I like it or not. And I do like it. I do.

And by becoming a new person, I first have to assert myself to a new name.

* * *

Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months, and eventually the months turned into years.

As of now, I'm 5 years old. You could say 23 if you want my real age, but I would like to remind myself that I'm a new person now. I'm no longer Anna, but I still have to remember that Anna was the person I used to be. I shouldn't forget the pass, but remember it and move on.

In those last 5 years, my only accomplice was my mother, Eufelia Roswell. She was a great woman, and I'll never stop mentioning those words. She was generous, kind, patient— er, somewhat patient— and especially strong.

Strong not only in emotional ways, but in physical as well.

It was an ordinary day in our house, and I had just woke up from my afternoon nap. Rubbing my eyes, I turned to the side of my room and spotted my mirror.

I hopped off the bed, slipping in my shoes and walking towards the mirror. I stared at my reflection, which admittedly for a young child, wasn't bad at all.

Since I was only a few years old, my hair was cut chin length, with the strands somewhat curving upwards. The color of my hair was somewhat similar to my mother's, light and chestnut brown. My eyes though, instead of radiant blue, were also chestnut brown. I was disappointed by this development, but I accepted it either way.

There were also things I have come to accept in this new life of mine too. Such as my new name, Erika Roswell. It was a beautiful name, compared to my old one so it was easy to accept it as my own.

I walked out of my room and into the hallway, reaching the dinner room. I was puzzled when I still haven't spotted my mom yet. Maybe she was tending to the garden again.

I went out of the house, and to my surprise I found my mother standing in the backyard. Her expression was serious as she gazed forward. I blinked in confusion, hiding behind the wall, wondering what she's doing.

She raised her arms and in between her fingers she held a golden key. My eyes grew wide as I realized what kind of key she was holding in her hand.

My hand shook. "No way… That key… Don't tell me…" I murmured, still not willing to believe it.

My mother had her eyes closed as she raised her hand. She flexed it and neared it towards her chest.

"Open! Gate of the Heavenly Scales! Libra!"

A glowing blue circle appeared in front of her. A sound of a clock rang through my ears, and a poof of smoke appeared. When the smoke dispersed, a woman with dark tan skin appeared. Her clothing was very revealing, but half of her face was concealed by a piece of cloth.

I fell to my knees, unable to stand anymore. The shock was too much.

Libra.

That was Libra, one of the Celestial Spirits.

My mom summoned Libra.

She had Libra's key.

She was a Celestial Spirit Mage.

At that moment, never had I thought that reality would be so… surprising. And I thought that the ability to be reincarnated was enough, but it turns out that life was full of whacked out surprises.

I was reincarnated into the world of Magic.

I was reincarnated into the anime Fairy Tail.

So I only did the most sensible thing I could do at the moment;

I fainted.

* * *

[A/N:] And another fanfifction! ^^

*knocks head* Uh hello, shame? Shame? *knocks head* Nah, I have none!

So yes, I posted another fanfiction. Part of my brain tells me I'm a stupid idiot for doing so, but another part told me to go for it. :)

Anyways, click that darling review button and tell me your thoughts.

See ya~


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

So… my mom was a mage.

And a Celestial Spirit Mage at that.

Whoop-dee-doo.

The last thing I recall before fainting was my mother's voice calling out my name. When I woke up, Libra's figure was hunched at me, staring at me impassively as if she was analyzing me for an experiment.

My instincts kicked in and I quickly bolted out of my bed. I grabbed the nearest object to my left and held it in front of me, trying my best to make it a point to threaten the woman in front of me.

"Don't come near me!" I cried, pulling the blankets close to me. "I'm armed!"

"… Eufelia-sama, is your daughter trying to threaten me with a spoon?"

I heard the door to my room open, revealing my smiling mother. She took one look at the scene and laughed. I wasn't the least bit ashamed for threatening a powerful spirit with a spoon. If my mom can beat me with a frying pan, then I can beat Libra with a spoon!

Mom pried the metal spoon away from my hold. "Erika-chan, calm down. This is Libra, one of the many Celestial Spirits I have a contract with." She explained gently.

"You're a mage?" I asked incredulously, though it was pretty obvious. It's just that the sentence and its meaning could never register in my head unless I see more valid proof. Yes, I'm just that effin' stubborn.

My mom nodded. "Yup! A powerful one at that!" she answered cheekily.

I could imagine a bead of sweat rolling down my face as I muttered, "You could be a little more humble about it…"

I stared at Libra then towards my mom. "But how did you manage to have a contract with Libra?" I asked. "Libra is one of the 12 rare Zodiac Keys! How could you have received them?"

Libra gave me a look. "Are you informed about the 12 Zodiac Keys?"

I kept quiet. How can I explain that I know all of the information needed because this world is supposed to an animated series and that I got the information via Wikipedia and internet? (Say that 3 times fast!)

"I've heard about it." I replied.

Libra hummed. Mother smiled at me and turned to Libra. "My father used to be a Celestial Spirit Mage, just like I am." She said. "He used to wield Libra and a few other spirits I have right now."

My ears perked up. "Wait, you have more than one spirit?"

Mother gave me a look. "Of course I have, Erika-chan! How on earth would I be able to live with only one spirit?"

I looked nervously behind my mom, spotting a depressed aura hovering over Libra's head. "Mom, you really need to think before you talk…" I muttered, looking with a comical face as my mom continued to say things cheerily, as if not noticing Libra's aura at all.

"But I really didn't know that you were a mage mom," I said, still amazed. "I would have mistaken you for a super fighter or martial artist."

Mom looked at me, puzzled. "Why would you say that?"

I paled as memories of when I angered her during dinner last night came back to me. I waved my hands in front of me, a sign of defense. "N-nevermind." I said.

"You said that in this world, there usually is a 90% of the total human population that don't know how to use magic and 10% that are." I said.

"Yes, that's correct." My mom said with a nod. "Do you wish to become a mage, Erika-chan?"

I blushed slightly. It was childish of me to dream of becoming a mage, even though there's a huge chance of me not being able to wield magic. "I want to, but only few people can master magic." I grumbled sourly.

My mom shook her head. "No, that's not the case. Anyone can become a mage."

I turned to her, confused. "Heh? But you said only 10% of the total population can master magic."

"Exactly." My mom confirmed.

"You're not making any sense mom." I stated blankly.

She gave me a slight glare. "Only few people can master magic." She continued. "And the key word is 'master'. Anyone can use magic. It's only that there are a few people who have the inner potential too."

I raised my eyebrow. "I'm not exactly understanding…" I admitted.

Mom smiled and poked her finger on my chest. "Magic starts with one's firm belief in it." She said. "Horoscopes, faith, religion— those are the many things related to magic. You just need to find that little trigger button inside of you to use your magic to its potential."

Where have I heard those words before?

I hummed and looked at my hands. So, if just find my so-called trigger button, I'll be able to use magic?

"Sounds easy enough!" I said with a grin.

Mom smacked my head lightly. "Easier said than done, Erika-chan." She chided.

I held my head and pouted.

* * *

Our house was a few blocks away from the nearest town, which was named Cedar. Not much mages live in the town because the citizens solely depend on the soldiers to defend them.

It was slightly annoying that some people prefer knights in shining armor aside from awesome mages, but hey, maybe that's just me.

Today, both me and my mom are shopping for some groceries. It was a really warm afternoon, and I didn't mind at all. We strolled around town, buying some items such clothes and books as well as our groceries.

We were about to head towards a nearby restaurant when I spotted a store called 'Mage Quotto; A store for all mages!'. My eyes sparkled as I quickly darted inside the store, ignoring my mother's protests and calls.

As soon as I entered, the scent of flowers filled my nose. I was amazed by all the magic items and junk I spotted in the store but I stopped when mother pinched my ear, scolding me for leaving her like that.

A middle-aged man walked towards us, wearing a pleasant smile. "Welcome to Mage Quotto!" he greeted politely. "I'm Wilbert, the store owner. What would you like to see?"

I turned from side to side, analyzing the store's contents. It was my first to see the insides of a mage store, and I was fascinated. I looked at Wilbert.

"Ne, ne! Do you have any Celestial Keys in store?" I asked excitedly.

Mom gave me an exasperated look. "Erika-chan!"

I grinned her way. "Why not? Please? Pretty please? With a flaming dragon on top?" I pleaded, mustering puppy eyes.

She stared at me for a few moments before sighing in defeat. "Fine, but only two keys. That's all." She said sternly.

That's all I needed. Wilbert motioned for us to follow him, and we walked to the counter. He pulled out the table's drawer and took out a small box. He opened it, and revealed a set of silver keys.

I gasped in amazement. "Wow!"

Wilbert took one key. "This is the key of the healer, Asclepius. As her gate states, she's an amazing healer. Her use for magic is to heal her master, so it takes only a few magic power to summon her."

He took another key and showed it. "This is the key of the weapons bearer, Gladius. He's a combat spirit who fights for his owner. The amount of magic power needed isn't that great, but it isn't that small either."

I took hold of both keys, staring at them with admiration. "Gladius and Asclepius…" I murmured softly to myself.

From the corner of my eye, I saw mom giving me a soft look. She turned to Wilbert and gestured to the keys I held in my hands. "How much for each, Mr. Wilbert?" she inquired.

My eyes widened a bit. "Mom?" I asked. "You mean— I can— Really?!"

She closed her eyes and placed her hands on her hips. "Well, since you want to become a mage so much—"

"THANK YOU SO MUCH!" I exclaimed, hugging her torso since I was too short to reach her shoulders.

She laughed and patted my head. "So? How much?" she asked as she turned to Wilbert.

"Well, each key is a silver, so 70 jewels each would be my price." He said. But then a smile came up his face. "But since this young lady seems to love the keys… I'll give them to your for 40 jewels."

I grinned and hugged my two keys as mom paid for them.

"Alright!"

* * *

I hummed, trying my best to concentrate. After a few moments, I exhaled.

"I knew it. I give up!" I exclaimed childishly.

"It's only been five minutes!" My mom exclaimed comically.

I pouted. "But how am I supposed to do this?" I asked. "You said I need some sort of trigger to awaken my magic. I don't think sleeping is exactly the trigger, you know."

My mom placed her fingers around her chin. "Hm, perhaps you're right. Meditating to find your inner magic is most likely the worst method for you."

I twitched. "Should I be offended…?"

My mom sigh. "Well, there are two other choices in unlocking your potential." She said.

I tilted my head. "What are they?" I asked her curiously.

She turned to me and held up her hand, raising one finger. "One is an event that would let out your emotions. Either it would anger you to a level where you can't stand it or feel the loss of a friend and experience pain and frustration."

A memory of Erza flashed through my mind, back when she was at the Tower of Heaven, still a child as she watched Rob turn into ashes before her very eyes when he used his very own body as a human shield.

I shivered. Nope, I don't think I want that method.

"How about the other one?" I asked weakly.

"It's by holding out a source of powerful magic for a certain time." She said. "You could either spend time with a very powerful mage that would leak out magic intentionally, so that in time, your magic will awaken by the magic surrounding it."

I brightened. "Let's do that technique!"

"But this technique takes time Erika-chan." She noted, shaking her finger. "At least, you'll need to be around a lacrima that's full of raw magic power for a week or around me for a month."

I looked at her, dismayed. "That can't be. Lacrima prices are high!"

I was really crushed when she noted the cons of the third method. Well, I guess that the easiest method has to have some drawbacks. Darn it!

Mom hummed, crossing her arms. I looked at her expression, only to spot her doing the thinking face. I stayed quiet, waiting for her to finish thinking. It's best not to disturb her while she's thinking. I don't want to be beaten by a rolling pin again.

Suddenly, she snapped her fingers. "That's right! I remember!" she said to herself, leaving me to stare at her with a literal question mark hovering above me.

* * *

We reached the attic of our house. It was pretty dusty, so I brought a handkerchief with me to cover my nose. My mom didn't mind the dust at all and walked in.

We walked around the attic for a few seconds before mom finally found what she was supposed to be looking for. She spotted a huge chest near a few crates and ran towards it.

I followed and watched from beside her as she unlocked the chest and opened it, revealing a few things I don't recognize. Mom placed her hands inside the chest and took out a sack. She untied the string closing it and took out its content, which was a lacrima in the shape of a circle.

I gasped silently as mom gave the lacrima to me. I held it in my hands, gazing at it with amazement. It was about the size of my fist, but it was considerably heavy. It was sky blue colored, but the light that reflected past it created a rainbow.

"That's the lacrima me and my father used to activate my magic potential." Mom explained. "When I finished my training, we used it as a source of energy for the house. See? Amazing huh?"

I nodded in agreement. "Yeah!" Then I turned to her. "But how am I supposed to carry this around all the time? I can't possibly place it in my pockets!"

My mom laughed and took the lacrima from my hands and in between hers. A magic circle appeared in front of the lacrima. It spun around before a bright light surrounded the lacrima. I shielded my eyes from the lacrima using my arm and when the light died down, the lacrima shrunk into a small jewel.

My mom looked around and eyed the string laying on the floor. She took it, tied it around the jewel, and showed it to me.

"Ta-da!" she said with a wink, showing to me her self-made necklace.

I smiled and clapped my hands. She hung the necklace around my neck and nodded to herself. "There! The lacrima is infused with some of my magic power, and it'll stay there until you awaken your potential."

I held the jewel in my hand and grinned. "Thanks mom! But how long would it take for me to awaken my magic?"

Mom hummed. "Well, it all depends on you. Magic usually awakens at the most auspicious times. Not even a card mage or a priest would be able to tell when you would earn your magic specifically."

My grin dropped in disappointment. No one would know? Aw, I was so hoping I would be able to find magic as fast as I could!

With that said, the following days passed by rather quickly. I would spend my time helping mom around the house, and usually we would talk about the rules of being a Celestial Mage. She would sometimes summon Libra too, whenever she would have to go out for a few days.

I never asked where she went, because she would only respond with a sad look. I didn't like seeing my mom sad, so I decided to drop the subject.

Today was another day where mom went off to who-knows-where and left Libra to accompany me at home. We were just sitting at the hillside, watching as clouds pass by and silently enjoying the cool breeze.

"Hey Libra?" I asked suddenly.

The said spirit turned to me. "Yes Erika-sama?" she asked respectfully.

I blanched. "You don't have to call me with that suffix." I said. "I feel really old whenever you call me that."

"Oh?" Libra said, quite surprised. "Then shall I can you Erika-chan as Eufelia-samam calls you?"

I shrugged. "You can call me whatever you like, but don't address me with such a formal title. We're equals; you know, buddies."

Libra raised her eyebrow in question. "Buddies?" she asked, puzzled.

"Er, you know, friends?" I said, trying to simplify the term. I forgot that Libra was pretty much from the stone-age and didn't really know what most people use call each other.

Libra looked at me for a moment and gazed down at the grass. "Friends…" she murmured thoughtfully. If I could guess, I think Libra wore a smile underneath her cloth mask. She turned to me and gave me a nod. "This is the second someone has considered me as a true human being."

I tilted my head. "Second? Who was the first?"

"Eufelia-sama." She responded.

I laughed. "Well, that seems about right. Mom is the type of person who hates treating anyone cruelly."

Libra looked at me. "But you noted that she chased you one time with a rolling pin, shouting threats to beat you to death when you called her old, right?"

I sweat dropped and hung my head low. "Haha… Yeah…" I said weakly, reminiscing that painful yet comical memory.

I looked at Libra. "Hey Libra, your abilities are gravity altering, right?"

Libra nodded. "Yes, why do you ask?"

I grinned.

* * *

My mom stood there, staring at both me and Libra with a blank face.

"… Libra, Erika-chan, what's going on here?"

"I'M FLYING!" I said happily as I floated in the air. Oh my gosh, this is the greatest idea I had ever thought of in my whole entire second life! Why didn't I think of this sooner? Using Libra's gravity altering magic to make my body as light as a feather, thus allowing me to fly like a bird in the sky?

"This is wicked!" I cried, doing loops in the air. Libra moved her arms around, wearing an impassive yet somehow comical face.

"Higher, Erika-san?" she asked monotonously.

I nodded. "Yep!"

If I had paid attention to my mom, I would've noted her slapping her forehead. But since I was way too busy enjoying myself, I didn't give a flying duck about it.

…

Flying duck?

Awesome! I'm even great at making inside jokes!

* * *

I walked into the kitchen, clutching my stomach. My mom, who was busy washing the dishes, noticed my presence and turned to me. "What's wrong Erika-chan?" she asked.

I was on the verge of tears. "My tummy hurts." I whined, clutching my chest.

"Heh?" my mom said in question. She turned off the faucet and walked towards me, kneeling down in front of me. She gave me a worried expression.

"What do you mean? Does it feel like there are bubbles?" she asked. Usually, my stomach aches would feel as if bubbles were bursting inside my stomach, but today wasn't the case.

"No, it's like there's something inside me… like some sort of energy… and it hurts…" I said, my voice sounding strain. Gosh, I should've been able to take pain like this! I've had cramps before! Huh, wait what?! Cramps?! I have my period already?! Holy crap! That can't be! I'm only six!

"If you're done doing strange gestures and weird faces, we can take you to a doctor now." Mom stated blankly.

I snapped to reality and paled as mom's words dawned meaning into my brain.

"Doc… tor?"

* * *

I held on to the side of the door for dear life.

"Erika-chan! It's only a check-up!"

"No! I don't wanna!"

Libra watched us from the side, a bead of sweat rolling down her head. "Should I interfere or…?"

I clutched the side of the door. I may be afraid of spiders, I may be afraid of rats, I may be afraid of snakes, but I'd rather find myself in the midst of a pit filled with rats, spiders, and snakes instead of going to the doctor!

"Why can't we just summon Aclepius?!" I offered.

"Summoning a spirit for a mere tummy ache is out of the question!" mom cried, pulling harder.

My fingers slipped, and at that instant I found myself kissing the ground. Mom then hoisted me up and held my body and carried me to the nearby clinic.

I pouted, but I was sort of glad. I guess mom does care about me, even though I acted like a brat right over there.

We walked through the town, and I spotted the clinic. I paled when we entered the building and covered my face with my hands as soon as mom opened the door.

I heard a few murmurs here and there and before I knew it, the pain inside my stomach subsided and I was sitting there on some chair in a room feeling like an effin' chocolate fairy granted me some pixie dust.

I hesitantly lowered my hands and found myself facing an equally beautiful woman. She had sky blue hair and sparkling blue eyes. She bore a great resemblance to Yukino Aguria.

"Well, I think I know what's happening." The Yukino copy said with a knowing smile.

I looked at her, confused. "Huh?"

She closed her eyes and smiled brightly. "Your magic is growing!"

I sat there, wide-eyed. Mom beside me chuckled and turned to the Yukino copy. "Thanks Yurika. I was really worried there for a minute." She said.

Yurika laughed. "It's normal. Usually, most mages-in-training start at the early age of 9 or so, but since Erika here is starting at age 6, it would cause some discomforts to her because her body is adjusting to the magic power collecting inside her."

I sigh in relief. "Phew."

"It would be best if you start training her to use her magic." Yurika advised. "The magic energy that's maturing in her body would eventually have to come out. Maybe letting her summon minor spirits at a time and forming a contract would be best."

"Um, Miss Yurika?" I piped up, raising my hand. "What happens if my magic energy collects in my body for a long time?"

"Oh, you'll bloat and then explode." Yurika answered cheekily.

Cue me and my mom screaming, "EH?!"

Yurika laughed at both our reactions. "It feels as if I'm looking at a mini-Eufelia!" she said.

Mom sweat dropped. "I don't know if I should take that as a compliment or not." She stated blankly.

Yurika patted her back. "Take it as neither." She said.

I stared at Yurika as she conversed with mom. She really was the splitting image of Yukino Aguria! Only that Yukino has brown eyes and her mom has blue. Perhaps it's her father's eye color? Hm…

"As fun as it was meeting you again Eufelia, I have some patients waiting outside." Yurika noted, gesturing to the window that showed a couple of people waiting in line.

My mom nodded and turned to me, holding my hand and helping me down from the chair. "Thank you, Yurika. I'll come by and cook you something in return!"

Yurika laughed. "I'm betting you on that!"

* * *

Ever since we visited Yurika, mom has been making me try and open the Celestial Gates. I've first tried to open Gladius' gate because my mom said it's good exercise to exert more force and magic at the first try.

So here I am, standing in the clearing of the woods, holding Gladius' silver key. I closed my eyes, recalling mom's advise on how to channel our magic power.

'I have to feel the stir of energy.' With my eyes closed, I try my best. I don't know how long it took me, but eventually I sensed some sort of energy thingy in my stomach.

'Now, I have to try and pull it out.' Though it was way easier said than done. Mom told ne to imagine my consciousness beside the energy thingy, then stretch my arm out and touch it.

I tried really, really hard, but I couldn't because my mind kept swaying off the subject. Like, I'm thinking of my magic, then the next second I'm thinking of chocolate.

It look me of what felt like decades to get my head straight and to hold the energy thingy. I imagined my energy much like the golden flame Jellal gave to Natsu during his fight against Zero from Oracion Seis. Then I imagined a mini-me, desperately swimming towards the flame.

The mini-me finally swam near enough the flame and stretched her hand, and in that split second I snapped my eyes and by instinct, I raised my silver key and called out,

"Open! Gate of the Weapons Bearer! Gladius!"

A sound of a clock rang through my ears and a blue magic circle appeared in front of me. A powerful gust of wind swiped me off my feet and a poof of smoke popped out of nowhere.

Had I been paying attention, I would've seen Gladius' face. But after summoning him, I felt as if I had just ran a marathon across the world because my legs felt weak, my eyesight was blurry, and my lungs were burning.

The only thing I saw before I blacked out was my mom's worried face and a blurred face of a man I don't know of.

* * *

**[A/N:] So what do you guys think? :)**

**Make sure to click the darling little review button below~**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

I yawned and slowly opened my eyes, finding myself in my bedroom once more.

I twitched. "I have got to stop doing this!" I cried irritably.

"I didn't know my master is Miss Cranky Panky." A blank voice stated.

Surprised, I bolted up in my place. I turned to my side, only to find a man sitting on a chair casually looking at me with a cool expression. He had a dark spiky hair that cascaded down his mid-back and silver eyes. His outfit was a dark muscle shirt and white knee length trousers and brown boots. He had two wristbands, each on his wrists.

I blinked once. Then twice.

"IT'S THE BOOGIE MAN!" I cried, pulling the covers over my head. "MOMMY!"

"Hey, hey! Calm down!" the man cried comically.

I peaked from my covers as the door to my room burst open. My mom entered and stared at the scene before dropping her head down. "Oh Erika…" she moaned as she placed a hand on her forehead.

I dropped my blanket and looked at my mom, confused. I turned to the man who was in my room, who was staring at me weirdly with a sweat drop.

"Uh… what's going on?"

Cue the two adults in the room anime falling.

* * *

"Heh? So you're Gladius?"

The man, Gladius, nodded. "Yeah. It's been a few years since I was called into the human world." He noted, looking around him. "It still feels the same."

I beamed and cheered. "Alright! I summoned a spirit!"

Mom laughed. "Yes, but you used up all your magic power in doing so." She noted, causing me to stop dancing in happiness. "You have to learn to control the amount of magic you use so that during battle, you won't faint as soon as you summon a spirit."

"You'll look stupid!" she added comically.

I blanched. "Is that really what you're concerned about?!" I exclaimed.

Gladius gave me a crooked smile. "Well, since I'm here and all, how about we form a contract lil' missy?" he said. I shifted my attention to him and peered at him curiously. "It's been a long time since I've had a master. And a kid at that. Pretty impressive, lil' missy."

"Lil'… missy?" I repeated, unsure of what to say next.

Mom nodded in agreement. "He's right Erika. Maybe you should start forming a contract right now. Since it's your first time and all."

I hummed and nodded. "Alright!" I said, pulling out a notepad and pencil from the desk near my bed.

"So on which days could I summon you?" I asked Gladius.

"Anytime, actually. Except for Sundays." He answered.

"Any month that you don't want to be summoned?"

"Not really."

"Favorite food?"

"Shrimp."

"Birthday?"

"September 18."

"Shoe size?"

"Are you kidding me?"

"I'm curious!"

"This is going to be harder than I thought..." my mom murmured from behind me.

* * *

The three of us stood outside at the front yard of the house. Gladius had his arms crossed on his chest and stared at me with a nonchalant expression.

Mom stepped forward. "Erika, Gladius abilities is enhancement magic and combat magic. Since a Celestial Mage is usually more concerned in increasing their magic power instead of their body power, they will neglect it. So it would be easier if you summon Gladius and use him as a partner to defend against enemies." She explained.

I nodded. "You're right mom. If someone strong shows up, I might not have enough power to beat them. But since Gladius here is pretty strong too, I can support him from behind!"

The said spirit gave me a look of surprise. "Support? But I'm just a spirit. All you need to do is summon me then run away." He stated.

I looked at him like he said something crazy. "That would be cowardly of me! Also, I do not like abandoning my allies. If people help me, I help them in return. That's how I live."

Gladius just stared at me. "So… you're saying that you don't see me as some sort of shield to use against your enemies?" he asked slowly, his voice filled with disbelief.

I gave him a confused look. "Why would I think of you as a shield? Clearly you're a living being, and all living beings have the right not to be treated as such inanimate objects." I said reasonably.

Mom gave me a smile.

"And besides Gladius, you look human enough! If you have feelings and a heart, you're undoubtedly a human." I added.

A moment of silence passed by. The wind brushed our hairs, caressing them slightly. Gladius was still staring at me in shock. I was looking down at the ground, feeling slightly self-conscious.

The silence was broken when Gladius laughed. I blinked, confused and turned to him with a questioning look. He was even slapping his knees! What was so funny?!

"This is a first!" he said between laughs. "I have never met a kid this amusing before! Man, you make me laugh!"

"I take mild offense in that!" I cried, a vein throbbing on my head.

Gladius' laughs calmed down and he settled for a genuine smile. "Thanks lil' missy." He said, his voice sincere. "This is first mage I have met to see me like a normal being."

I shook my head. "Not a normal being Gladius," I corrected before giving him a thumbs up. "As a friend!" I added with a grin.

Gladius stared at me with slight shock but it disappeared and turned into a smile. "Hm, yeah. Well, let me make a pact with you lil' missy."

I looked at him curiously. "What is it?"

"I pledge by the names of cosmos, the radiance of the stars, and my very own gate that I will protect you." He vowed.

I was caught off guard. He swore to protect me? That was… a first. No one has ever swore to protect me before. Usually it goes unsaid in my old world.

I felt really embarrassed now. "Aw come on! Don't go sappy!"

"Hey, I'm serious about it!" Gladius said.

I laughed at his expression. Soon enough, Kratos himself joined in. Mom also joined in the laugher.

'This is really nice.' I thought to myself as I watched the happy scene around me. 'I really wish I could stay this happy forever.'

* * *

The following days after, mom made me summon Gladius as much as I can without breaking our contract. She said that if I do, I'll be able to create a tighter bond with my spirit and eventually I'll be able to summon him whenever I'm in a crisis.

I tried summoning Asclepius a few times, but I would always forget Asclepius' gate summoning name so I had to check on my notepad just to remember. Gladius blandly noted that I was going to have a bad relationship with Asclepius if I keep on forgetting her summoning name. My only response was a pillow thrown on his face.

Months passed, and soon a year did as well. I had now officially turned 7 in this world. My contract with Gladius was finalized and complete, so I had no worries about tightening our bond.

Speaking of bonds, the ones I had created in this world really amazes me. Mom, Libra, Asclepius, and Yurika; they well all such great and kind people. Though they could say the same for me, I also am a bit irked whenever they agree and call me an 'airhead'. Exsqueeze me, but I am certainly not that clumsy! Maybe I do trip on some invisible rocks most often. Blame me not! Blame the stupid invisible mage who hates me!

Today, I strolled around town in search for something to do. Mom was out doing the laundry, and I really didn't want to do chores today so I settled for wandering around.

I was circling around the town square when I noticed a lot of people were running and heading towards the direction of the port. I raised an eyebrow in question and spotted one of the many people I see in the town, Maya the flower owner.

"Maya-san!" I called as I spotted her racing down the street.

The said woman turned around and noticed me. "Oh, hello Erika!" she greeted with a smile.

I returned her smile. "What's all the fuss about? It seems that everyone is heading to the port today. Did someone catch a big fish?"

Maya laughed and shook her head. "No, but it seems to me that the Master of Fairy Tail is visiting Cedar Town!" she said.

I blinked. "Heh?"

Maya smiled. "Isn't that great, Erika?"

…

"HEEEEEH?!"

Maya was surprised by my reaction, but I think my surprise surpasses her's. The Master of Fairy Tail?! Here?! Huh?!

I started running towards the port. My speed isn't as fast as the wind, but I did manage to get to the port as fast as my legs could at least carry me. I reached the port, and my face lit up when I thought I could meet the current master of Fairy Tail. But…

"I can't see over these tall people!" I cried.

I tried my best to wiggle in between the little spaces of the legs of the people, and I successfully did it. Though I did end up landing face first into the wooden port, hurting my nose in the process.

I sat back up and rubbed my poor nose. "Owwie!" I cried.

"Are you alright?"

I blinked, turning to my left. I spotted a small old man looking at me with a kind expression. He had white hair, and a thick white moustache.

My jaw dropped. I was so surprised, I could only say one word;

"SMALL!" I cried.

I realized it was Master Makarov. He was surprised by my exclamation, but laughed it off anyways. "Haha! I guess I am small for someone as old as my age." He admitted childishly.

I stared at him. Master Makarov was still the master of Fairy Tail, huh? Then that means maybe I'm born during Natsu and Lucy's timeline! Yes! Maybe I can make friends with them when I join Fairy Tail!

"What is your name, young one?" he asked.

"Erika." I answered as I stood up.

Makarov hummed. "It seems to me that you are training to be a mage."

"Uh, yeah! That is the case! But how did you know?" I asked, tilting my head to the side. Then I placed my hands on my cheeks and let out a horrified expression. "I know! You have telepathic magic! Get out of my head, evildoer!"

Makarov sweat dropped. "No, that is not how I knew." He corrected.

I looked at him in confusion. "Then how? It's not like I'm walking a sign that says 'I'm practicing to become a mage' or anything, right?"

Makarov laughed and shook his head. "No. I just sense the brewing of magical energy inside your body. It seems to me that it's growing larger and larger each day. It is very impressive!"

I blushed and scratched my cheek in embarrassment. "Ehehe, not really. I am still a kid." I admitted.

"Yup, just a kid. It would need 100 years of experience before you can surpass me." Makarov stated as he placed his fingers under chin, giving it a thought.

"Was that supposed to make me feel better or you feel better?!" I exclaimed rather comically.

"Anyways, do you know a mage named Eufelia?" he asked as he faced me once more. "My purpose of visiting Cedar Town is actually to speak with her."

"Eufelia?" I repeated, confused. Why was Makarov asking for my mother?

"She's actually my mom." I answered.

Makarov's jaw dropped. His eyes grew wide as saucers. "Heh!? She has a kid?!" he exclaimed, surprised.

"Er, yeah. Duh. That's me." I said, gesturing to myself. Why was he so surprised?

He turned away and started mumbling, "So she really did marry him, huh…"

"By the way Master Makarov, why do you need to ask my mom anyway?" I asked, tilting my head to the side. "Did she do anything wrong?"

"No, it's not anything like that," Makarov assured. "I just need to talk to her."

With that said, I offered to give him directions to my house. On the way, I couldn't help but feel awe-stricken and nervous. Awe-stricken because of Makarov's great magic power. Even though he isn't leaking it out intentionally, I know he was really powerful. Nervous because I was afraid he might bite my head off with his magic power.

We reached the house and I spotted mom immediately tending to the garden. I ran towards her, calling her name. She looked up and noticed me, giving me a smile. But it turned into surprise when she spotted Makarov following behind me.

"Master?" she asked, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Why are you here?"

Makarov's expression was grave. Mom took the hint and turned to me. "Erika, head to the park. Summon Kratos to accompany you. Do not come back until sunset." She ordered.

I looked at her worriedly. "Mom? Is there something wrong?"

She gave me a weak smile. "Just do it. I also forbid you to enter the house today." she said before pulling out her key set. My eyes widened. Why did she pull it out?

"Take this with you." She said, placing her key set on my hands.

My heart was racing now. She never would give me this! No! She said when I'm at least 13! Why was she giving this to me?

"Mom!" I said, my voice louder than usual. "What's happening?"

She didn't respond. She just kissed my forehead and nudged me forward. "Go on." She said softly.

I turned to Makarov, who had a grim look on his face.

Despite how I felt, I reluctantly nodded and ran towards the park. Why I ran, I glanced over my shoulder, only to find both mom and Makarov entering the woods.

I was unsure of the situation, but a feeling in my gut told me that it wasn't good. I wanted to turn around and chase my mom, ask her why she's acting weird, but the way she spoke was so soft and pleading. It was almost as if it was her last wish.

I stopped running, and turned around towards the direction of the hill where our house stood.

"Last… wish?" I whispered to myself.

* * *

I sat on the swings, musing to myself. Gladius was standing with leaning his back on the swing set, his arms crossed on his chest.

"Gladius?" I asked quietly, my gaze directed to the ground.

He turned to me in question. "What is it?"

"I'm afraid." I admitted, letting my bangs shadow my eyes. "What is mom hiding? She's acting weird. And how did she know the master of Fairy Tail? It's suspicious."

Gladius turned to the sky. "How about we find out ourselves?"

"But mom told me not to go home." I protested softly.

Gladius looked at me. "If you're really concerned, you wouldn't listen to that. Look above, missy. It's already sunset. If you hurry, maybe you'll be able to find out what's happening."

I blinked, surprised. I looked up at the sky above me, realizing that Gladius indeed was right. It was already sunset. We should be able to come home now.

As I was about to say that we should get home, a large burst of energy appeared on the hill. The energy was so powerful, I felt the pressure from the park.

"What the heck?!" Gladius said, fighting off the pressure from the energy.

My eyes widened. "Such a great amount of magical energy!" I cried. Then it dawned onto me. "That's where my house is!"

I started running towards the energy source, Gladius following behind me.

Oh no. What is going on? Why is the energy source coming from our hill? Why? Where is mom?

I soon reached the hillside. I ran up to road, spotting my house in the distance. I felt relief when I saw that it wasn't in pieces, but then I realized that the energy was coming from the woods.

"That's where Eufelia and Makarov are!" Gladius said.

I ignored him and kept running. Fear and dread washed inside me, two emotions that I haven't felt for 7 years in my life in Earthland. Memories of my past, my death, the pain flashed inside my mind.

Tears leaked from my eyes as I neared the woods. "Mom!" I yelled, calling out for her in hopes that she'll respond.

I reached the clearing of the woods and soon I spotted my mom hovering above in the air surrounded by strange markings in the ground. Runes, probably. Makarov was nowhere to be seen.

"Mom!" I cried.

My mom's eyes opened slightly, and they widened when she spotted me. "Erika?" she asked, alarmed. "What are you doing here?! Get out of here!"

I ignored her. "No! Mom! What's happening? Where's Master Makarov?!"

"Get out Erika!" Mom cried. "The runes around here are supposed to absorb magic power! If you get any closer, you'll die!"

"So will you!" I cried.

Gladius grabbed me before I could get any closer. I turned my head around to yell at him to let me go, but I was cut off when I noticed that his spiritual power was diminishing. His full body form was flickering and his face contorted into pain.

"Don't!" he warned. "Those runes were written by a dark mage! I can tell from the magic power it emits!"

"Gladius …" I murmured. He was trying his best to materialize his form here despite the runes that were engraved on the ground.

I turned my head back to mom, feeling helpless. What should I do? If I walk nearer to the runes, both mine and Gladius' magic power will be sucked from us, leaving us to the great possibility of dying. But at the same time, I couldn't just stand by here and leave my mom alone! And why is she in the center of the runes? And why is she beaten up?! Did someone fight her?!

"Mom!" I yelled once more. "What's going on? Please tell me!"

Mom didn't look like she was in pain from the look on her face, but I could tell that she was sad enough seeing me and Gladius struggling to get to her. I saw her smile sadly.

"Erika-chan, I would tell you that everything would be alright and that I'll be home… but you're smarter than that." She said. "I know you are. Your speech pattern, how quickly you observe most things and how you calculate information… I was only able to do that when I was 16."

Despite the raging winds, I still yearned to hear her voice. Her soft smile never disappeared from her face. The only thing I could do there was watch as my mom hovered above in the middle of the runes, her magic power slowly being sucked away.

"You're really special, you know that Erika? I'm sure someday… you'll be able to find him…" she trailed off.

"Him? Who is him?" I asked to myself. When my mom's body went limp, fear and dread coursed through my veins.

Finally, the winds died down. The runes slowly disappeared, and my mom's body was dropped like rag doll in the middle of the clearing. When Gladius finally let me go, I quickly ran over to her body.

I nudged her arm. "Mom?" I asked, my voice cracking.

Gladius ran beside me. He looked at my mom and placed his two forefingers on her wrist. His eyes widened before his expression turned into sadness and remorse.

My eyes grew wide. No! No no no! She can't be—! She shouldn't—!

"Mom!" I said, nudging her arm even harder.

"Mom!" no matter how many times I called her name, she didn't respond. Her eyes were shadowed by her bangs and her chest kept still.

The tears just kept pouring this time. I didn't bother holding them back anymore. I held my face with both my hands and let out a pained scream.

Once I screamed, I resumed sobbing uncontrollably. Gladius had his face turned to the ground, looking away from mom's body. His fist was clenched, as if he was angry by the fact that my mother was no longer with us.

"Mom! Mom! Please come back!" I wailed. "I don't want to be alone! I don't! Please! You can't leave me! Mom!"

Gladius stood up and walked over to me. He knelt down in front of me and gently pulled me in a comforting hug. His hand patted my back gently. Slowly, my sobs ceased.

"I'm sorry." He whispered.

I shook my head in his chest. It wasn't his fault. It was mine. I shouldn't have left her alone by herself. I shouldn't have taken her keys. I should've protested against this all! If I had, I would've been able to avoid this!

As the dark night crept in, my sobs stopped. There was nothing anymore for me to cry for. My mother was dead, and I was alone.

Alone in this world.

"You're not alone Erika." Gladius said. "You still have me and Libra, right? And those other spirits in your hands."

I didn't listen to him. I just buried my face in his chest, refusing to let go.

* * *

**[A/N:] Well… that escalated quickly… :|**

**Hello readers! ^^ It's me, Silver Glory a.k.a. Leah! **

**I do hope you guys found the chapter amusing. Or at least, entertaining. I'm not one to write sad scenes sometimes, especially when I feel downright cheerful and ignorant at the moment, but I just felt the impulse to write something like this.**

**Say shemurr?**

**Anyways, if you guys have noticed, I have received so many followers and people who had added this story to their favorites list. And to all those who did, thank you very much! :)**

**Please review below and let me know what you guys think of the story so far!**

**BTW, to the reader who asked about what will happen to Lucy's role in this story… I can't answer. You'll just have to find out yourself, yes? *wink wink***


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

I sat there on the hillside, facing the front of my mother's gravestone.

News of a large magic energy source coming from Cedar Town spread quickly throughout Fiore. The Council had sent a group rune knights to investigate the problem and find out where the magic source was coming from.

Yurika had learned about mom's death and broke down in tears. I would've been weirded out by the scene, but I couldn't blame her. I mean, when I saw my mom died in reality I couldn't even let go of Gladius, even when my magic power was running low.

Yurika offered for me to live alongside with her, and honestly I saw no choice but to say yes. As much as I would appreciate living alone, I still couldn't do some things on my own. Gladius can't be summoned every day, especially on Sundays. And I don't think he would want to see me look like a hot mess anymore.

The whole town heard about my situation, and admittedly it was sort of annoying. I can't walk down the street without being whispered around in my presence. I really don't want to be rude to them so I don't say anything about it, but sometimes it just really makes me want to snap someone's neck.

Wait… that sounded violent. Eek!

A total of two weeks passed ever since the incident. Yurika was kind enough to find enough time and money to bury my mom's corpse in the hillside right next to our house.

"She loved watching the stars ever night. I at least want to make sure she can do so forever more." Is what Yurika said.

I appreciated Yurika's help. Also, I had soon learned that she already had two daughters.

It surprised me so much I think my eyes were about pop out of their sockets. Both of them, as I presumed, had the very same shade of sky blue colored hair as their mother's hair, only that the older one had indigo colored eyes while the younger one had brown.

Yurika nudged her two daughters in front of me, who was still looking at the two sisters in shock. Outside, I was calm and poised but if you take a look at the inside of my brain, millions of Erikas are running around rampant, screaming "HOLY COW WHAT SHOULD I DO IT'S YUKINO AND SORANO HOLY COW!"

The older sister, who held no sign of being nervous at all, walked in front of me. She held out her hand and smiled brightly. "Hello! I'm Sorano. Nice to meet you, Erika!"

I hesitantly shook her hand. I was really, really nervous. Who wouldn't be? I'm looking at the child version of Sorano a.k.a. Angel of Oracion Seis! I can literally be crapping my pants right now.

Sorano smiled and turned to her younger sister. "Come on Yukino, she won't bite!" she joked lightly.

Yukino was blushing shyly. She slowly walked up to me, her gaze directed on the floor. "Hello… I'm Yukino."

I discovered that Sorano was five years old while Yukino was three. It was surprising to hear a three year old speak so fluently, but if I took a look at myself, I would've commented on my own case.

Since Yurika was usually out in the clinic, the three of us would spend our times talking and playing games that usual children of our age would. Sorano was a bit mature for a child, and Yukino was totally dependent on her. It made me smile when Yukino noted that she wanted to become a person who could help anyone and gave them happiness, just like Sorano.

Thinking about Sorano, it made my heart break when I realized that she would soon become Angel and become evil. But when that thought crossed my mind, it made me realize that the root source of how Sorano would become Angel is because the Zeref cult, the one who leads the R-System, would capture her and probably destroy this town.

How do I stop this from happening? It would be stupid I could think of going up against the members. My magic power can only support Gladius for a total of 18 minutes if he fights continuously. Also, as powerful as he can be, he can't protect the whole town from these guys.

I sigh to myself. Jeez, knowing the future sure is hard work!

But I can't give up! I chided myself. If I do, things might go straight by the plot, and people will die and get hurt. Sure, there are some things I can't change, because I might accidentally kill Natsu or Happy in the process, but there are things that NEED to be changed.

And I'll start with Yukino and Sorano.

* * *

The followings days soon turned into months. Each day, I would visit the woods, the very same woods where my mother died, to try and increase my magic power. Gladius gave me pointers, saying that if I close my eyes and meditate, I'll be able to feel the pull of power inside my body. And by focusing it around me and summoning it, I would be able to pull out raw magic power from my body with ease.

It was much similar to the training Lucy went through when Capricorn helped her with, only that I can't summon magic as well as she can.

Of course, instead of acting glum, I would only use this as a leverage to boost up my determination.

"Hey Erika-nee," Sorano called from her spot in her bed.

I looked up from my letter. "What is it Sorano?" I asked.

"Why do you keep bringing those key thingies?" she asked, pointing to the key holster I had strapped on my belt.

I turned to my waist. Oh, that was right. Ever since mom died, I couldn't bear to part with her keys. I haven't even checked how many spirits she has in there. Since I couldn't carry them all in a single key chain, I had to buy a holster.

"My mom gave me these keys." I explained. "They're very precious."

"Isn't that part of your magic, Erika nee-sama?" Yukino piped up quietly. "You summon spirits from the Spirit World using those keys, right?"

I smiled brightly at Yukino. Even at a young age, her observation skills are already at par with mine. She would be a great mage in the future.

I nodded. "Yes. I form contracts with my spirits then we create a bond with each other. If I do that, I can summon them whenever I need to."

"So are spirits some sort of partners?" Sorano asked with a curious expression.

I shrugged. "You could say that, but I prefer calling them my allies. Or my friends. It's really hard to think of my spirits as tools and shields, since they look so much humane and have feelings like we do."

Both sisters gave me a smile.

"You're really nice Erika-nee!" Sorano stated.

I blushed and place my hand behind my neck. "You think so?"

Yukino nodded. "Only someone like you would think of spirits like that." She said. Then she turned to the floor. "I wish I could see your spirits."

I grinned and stood up on the seat of my chair. "Why not? Let's go and summon some spirits!" I said, pumping my fist into the air.

The two sisters smiled before they turned concerned. "Wait Erika-nee!" Sorano said. "If you keep moving while you stand on top of the chair like that, you'll—"

I accidentally stepped on the corner of the chair, pushing all my weight forward. The chair toppled over, and I met the floor once more face-first.

"Fall." Yukino finished comically.

* * *

We all headed towards the woods, avoiding the exact clearing where I last saw my mother. I found another spot big enough that was near enough the town in case we had any troubles.

Since it was Sunday, I couldn't summon Gladius. So I checked my holster in mom's collection of keys and took out Libra's key.

I felt horrible for having to bear this terrible news for her. But now, I have to summon her.

Since Libra's and mom's contract was cut off, I had to summon her personally from the spirit world. It would use up my magic power considerably, since I will be summoning the spirit from one of the 12 Zodiac gates.

"I am the mage who crosses paths with the spirits!" I called. Magic power welled up on my feet. "Thou shalt answer my call and transverse the gate!"

"**Open! Gate of the Heavenly Scales! Libra!"**

A large azure magic circle appeared in front of me, and soon a cloud of smoke blocked my vision. The smoke dispersed, and there stood Libra in her usual attire.

She turned to me, surprised. "Erika-sama?" she asked. "Where is Eufelia-sama? How come it was you who had summoned me?"

I looked down to the ground. "I'm sorry Libra… but mom… she died."

Libra's eyes grew wide. She clenched her fists in anger, but took a steady breathe to calm herself down. "There is no use fretting over what has happened," she said. "You are now my new owner, Erika-sama."

I nodded. I looked behind me and smiled at both Yukino and Sorano, who were gazing at Libra with admiration.

"Who are these young children?" Libra asked curiously.

I smiled. "These two are my unofficial little sisters!"

Libra looked slightly surprised by this, but she nodded. "I see. Then I must protect these two with my life as well."

She bowed her head down slightly. "It is a pleasure to meet you both. What are your names?"

Sorano had stars in her eyes. "M-my name is Nosora! No, wait! I mean Sorano!"

Poor Yukino was stuttering. "I-I'm Y-yukino."

Libra closed her eyes, which I figured was how she would smile had it not been for her cloth on her face. "It's very nice to meet you both."

They both smiled at each other and gave me a thumbs up. "Nice Erika-nee!" Sorano praised. Yukino was clapping her hands in joy.

I decided to follow up with their act. I started doing curtsies and creating fake tears. "Yes! Yes! Thank you so much for your wondrous praise! It is you who had support me to move on!" I said dramatically, doing a pose.

Everyone laughed. I grinned and soon joined in the laughter too. It was hard to be gloomy and depressed when you're surrounded by so much people who care about you, you know?

Our laughter was stopped when I heard giant thumping noises. The ground below us shook at every thump, scaring Yukino and Sorano. I had grown accustomed to loud noises, so this only alarmed me.

"These sounds…" I murmured before I realized. "Forest Vulcan!"

Soon enough, I saw a Forest Vulcan, confirming my suspicions. Sorano and Yukino hugged each other and had their backs to a tree, looking at the huge creature in fear. I had to admit to, it's size was intimidating. But I had Libra with me!

"Ooh! Little girlies!" it cried. "I want one!"

Yukino screamed while Sorano was just shivering. Libra narrowed her eyes and affixed herself in a battle stance.

"I will not let you touch my friends!" she declared, her gaze piercing.

The Forest Vulcan laughed. "Ha! How can a mere woman defeat me?"

I was pissed off. "Was that an off-handed sexist comment from a stupid monkey bastard?!" I yelled, angrily. A vein was pulsing on my forehead. Never mind telling that Vulcan to scram! I'm having me some Vulcan pie!

"Libra! Kick his stupid monkey ass!" I ordered, pointing my finger at it.

Libra looked as if she was smirking underneath her cloth. "Hmph, I'll spray paint him white then send him to Mt. Hakobe!" she said as she positioned her hands.

The Vulcan looked pissed. It screeched and leaped high in the air. "Now I'm annoyed! Die, woman!"

Libra was unfazed. "I am one of the 12 Zodiac Spirits! I will not be defeated by a mere primate!"

A magic circle appeared on her feet, surrounding the area. She moved her arms in a circular motion.

"**Gravity Change! Weight increase!**" she yelled, bringing her hands down.

The scales connected to her hands started to glow, and the Vulcan's form glowed as well. The Vulcan froze in mid-air before it started falling forcefully towards the ground. The force of the fall was strong, nearly sweeping me off my feet.

"**Gravity Change! Weight decrease!**"

The Vulcan was raised high above air. Then Libra did the most unexpected thing she could ever do.

She jumped up, and hovered above the Vulcan. She then formed an X position with her arms. "**Gravity Change! Weight Increase!**"

I thought she could increase the Vulcan's gravity again, but this time she increased her own. Using her weight, she kicked the Vulcan down.

Smoke appeared all around us. I used my arms to shield my eyes from the dust, and when it started to disappear, I looked at Libra.

My jaw dropped and I started to feel actual fear for the said spirit.

Her figure was silhouetted, and her eyes were glowing bright red. She stood atop of the Vulcan victoriously with her magic power surrounding her form menacingly.

I joined Yukino and Sorano in crying and hugging.

"Dare to challenge me again, monkey." Libra threatened. "You try to do that, I'll chop off your tail and pin it to your head then burn your body using the flames of the Great Dragon's Roar."

The Vulcan nodded vigorously. "A-aye ma'am!"

It was official; Libra was one scary spirit.

* * *

I sat on my bed, taking out all of the keys inside my holster. I only had two keys in my possession; Asclepius and Gladius.

When I looked at Mom's collection, I was impressed to see another golden key aside from Libra's. I looked at the insignia engraved on it, and I was shocked to find out that it was Pisces'!

I looked at mom's other keys, and my surprise didn't vanish. I found Caelum's key, and Aries' key too!

Holy cow! Since when did mom have three of the 12 Zodiac keys?!

I counted the total set of golden keys; Libra, Aries, Pisces. Then there was my set of silver keys and mom's silver key; Gladius, Asclepius, and Caelum.

Six! I have six units in my hands!

I laughed in joy. Oh my lord, this was awesome! I love you mom!

I paused. I love you mom… the sentence repeated itself in my head. My joy slowly turned into sadness. I soon remembered that I haven't told her that on the day she died. I haven't even said that to her while she was alive in my life!

Tears leaked through my eyes, landing on my keys. "I haven't said that I loved her…" I whispered to myself before covering my face with hands. "I haven't… Not even once… I can't believe myself…!"

I didn't shout or scream. If I did, I would only worry Yukino and the others. I didn't want to. I was already a problem enough by staying here in their house.

"I don't want to be a problem." I said to myself. "I… I don't want to lose anyone…"

Mom.

"I want to protect everyone."

Gladius.

"I want to be there for everyone."

Yurika.

"I don't want anyone to worry for me."

Yukino.

"I want to become strong… Stronger than ever… Stronger!"

Natsu.

Names and faces flashed through my mind as I mentioned those statements. I recalled everyone in the Fairy Tail anime, saying that if you have something to protect, than that will make you stronger.

Since I was watching it from the screen, I never took those words to heart. But now, living in the very world where friends and family are everything… I have come to understand.

I now understand why Natsu is powerful. He has something to protect, and that is his friends. His Dragon Slayer magic isn't the reason why he wins most of his battles. It's his will to protect.

My mom… did she feel stronger whenever she thinks of the people she wants to protect? Is this why she wants to become a mage?

At first, I thought being a powerful mage was to have powerful magic. But I was wrong. It all depended on the heart, and the will to protect your family and friends.

I smiled to myself, despite the streams of tears that ran down my face. Was this how mama felt? No wonder she was so kind and strong.

I want to become like that. I want to become like mama.

"The will to protect… that's what it means to become a strong and powerful mage…" I murmured to myself.

I laughed. "You really are amazing, mama!"

* * *

"Honestly Erika! Try and be a little careful next time!"

I was sitting inside the clinic, pouting angrily. It wasn't my fault! It wasn't!

Sorano was sitting beside me doing the very same position as I am. She too was pouting and turning away from me.

You may be wondering why we're both fighting. Let me fill you in the details;

Earlier today, Sorano wanted to summon Aries herself. But I told her that she needed sufficient magic power to summon the 12 Zodiac Spirits and support their materialization in this world. She was pretty stubborn, saying that if I can do it, so can she.

That sort of irked me. What did she mean that if I can do it, she can? How can this child think of herself so highly?!

So we got stuck in a verbal brawl, calling each other names and finally going as far as pulling each other's fair and squishing each other's cheeks. Yukino was stuck on who to support and just stayed out of the fight.

"Sorano, that was prideful of you!" Yurika scolded with a stern and angry look on her face. "You aren't even a mage, and spouting such nonsense! That kind of arrogance will lead you to your own failure!"

Sorano was shocked to find her mother angry and looked at her lap in shame. I nodded in agreement. Yeah! See what you do if you challenge me?!

"And you, Erika!" I squeaked when she called me. "You are a mage, right? Then you shouldn't be so easily taunted! Many people will take that to their advantage, and you'll be defeated easily. That will not help you at all!"

Now it was my turn to sulk.

Yurika sent us to our rooms. Or room. Basically, all three of us sleep in the same room. Yukino and Sorano have a bunk bed while I stay on a separate bed on the opposite side of where the sisters' beds were.

Both of us sat on the bed, hugging our legs near our chests. I refuse to apologize to Sorano! She was the one who belittled me in the first place. I don't see any reason to apologize to that little, annoying, ungrateful, small, fu—

"I'm sorry."

I looked up from my gaze on the bed, finding Sorano giving me a sincere expression. I was surprised that she was the one who apologized first.

"I should've have said what I did earlier," she continued. "I… just want to become a mage just like you. Strong and kind."

She then buried her face in her knees. "I guess someone who's arrogant and selfish like me will never be a great mage like you Erika-nee."

I stared at her in surprise. She was on the verge of crying, and now I was starting to feel guilty!

"Nah, don't sweat about it Sorano!" I said, waving the subject off. "I'm sorry too, you know, for calling you arrogant and selfish. That was pretty low of me."

Sorano looked at me in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Well, everyone is arrogant and selfish. That's how we humans are, right? We all are proud of what we are, and want things we know sometimes we can't have." I said. "There are many flaws we humans share, but I guess those traits are what prove our existence."

Sorano looked at me in awe.

"Erika-nee… you sure like talking." She stated.

"I said a really heartfelt and amazing speech and that's your reaction?!" I exclaimed comically.

Sorano giggled. "But… those words… they are true." She said. Then her eyes brightened in determination. She stood up.

"Alright! I have decided!" she declared. "I want to become a mage, just like you!"

I grinned and stood up too. "Sounds interesting Sorano! What kind of mage do you want to be?"

"No idea yet." She said bluntly.

"What the heck?!" I cried.

"Well there are so many kinds of magic. I can't decide!"

"Look you! How on earth are you going to be a mage if you can't even decide your magic?!"

"What did you say fatty?!"

"Who are calling fatty, you skinny toothpick!"

"You wanna go at it?!"

"Please! I'll beat you before you can even throw a punch in!"

"BOTH OF YOU GIRLS STOP ARGUING OR I'LL GROUND YOU BOTH FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIVES!"

"Yes ma'am!" we spoke in unison.

* * *

**[A/N:] **Hmmm, what do I see here: ;)

A new update! Ehehe, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. I nearly forgot about Yukino and Sorano. I did a little research in the Fairy Tail wikia, and I calculated both sisters' age during Lucy's and Natsu's time, only to find out that Yukino was four years younger than Lucy during the anime. Sorano's age wasn't stated in the wikia, so I gave it a mild guess and made her two years older.

**Reviews are love~ **


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 **

"Wake up Erika!"

I groaned, turning to my other side as I clutched my blanket tightly. I tried dozing off back to sleep, but someone was shaking my shoulders and kept on screaming my name as if someone was dying.

"Erika! Erika! Wake up, dummy!"

I cracked open my eyes, finding a blurred version of Sorano waking me up. She had an exciting grin on her face, which contradicted my sleepy frown. Her eyes twinkled in excitement.

I covered my face with my blanket. "Go away… Am sleepy…"

"Geez!" Sorano said with a pout. "Trust you of all people to make sleep a priority instead of your own birthday!"

I blinked open my eyes once more and looked at her, confused. "Huh…? Birthday?" I asked drowsily, sitting up and rubbing my eyes.

She pointed to the calendar plastered on the wall beside me. It was the month of August, and on the number 21 there was a huge red circle around it.

"Oh yeah…" I murmured before falling backwards and closing my eyes, trying to find sleep again.

"Don't fall asleep again!" Sorano exclaimed irritably.

"Fine!" I cried before stretching my limbs out. I guess I pretty much scared Sorano because it probably looked like an exorcism was taking place on my bed.

After stretching, I rolled to my side and fell out of bed with my pillow on my head. Sorano watched me with a nervous sweat drop as I wiggled my way like a worm towards the door of our room and slide down the stairs, still half-awake and not exactly comprehending the situation.

I opened my eyes and sat up, clutching my head pillow. My eyes widened slightly when I noticed that the living room was filled with frilly decorations, balloons, and presents. Yukino and Yurika were both standing in front of me, giving me a smile.

I blinked in confusion. Say what?

"What's going on?" I asked, rubbing my eyes.

Yukino giggled as Yurika rolled her eyes and pinched my cheek. The pain woke me up and I flailed my arms, trying to escape her pinch.

I rubbed my cheek. "Ow! What was that for?"

Yurika laughed. "It's your birthday silly!"

I blinked, confused. "Birthday? Already?" I repeated, surprised. Wow, it's been 9 years already ever since I came here? That's a shocker. Time really passes by quickly huh? Or maybe it's just me.

Yukino walked towards me, holding out a small present box. She was shying away, as usual, as she stretched out her arms and handed me my present. "Here you go nee-sama," she said.

I smiled in gratitude and took the box. "Thanks!" I said before untying the ribbon and taking the lid off.

I was surprised to see a little rag doll waiting inside. It was simple, but pretty in a way. It had curly fake sandy hair, and sky blue eyes. She wore a frilly blue dress, and a small smile was stitched on her face.

My face lit up. This was the first time I received a doll! And it was so pretty!

"Do you like it nee-sama? I bought it myself in the shop nearby."

I turned to Yukino and gave her a tight hug. "Are you kidding me Yuki? I love it!"

Yukino smiled at the nickname I gave to her and held out the rag doll in my hands. I stared at it, analyzing its traits. It was very, very weird too. How come I have a feeling that I saw this doll before?

Before I could continue thinking like that, Sorano came downstairs and handed me a present. "Here you go, Erika-nee!" she said, handing me a small box.

I eyed the small present box warily.

"You… didn't place a fake roach inside, did you?"

"Oh shut up! Just take the present before I change my mind!"

I pouted, but took the present in my hands. I opened the box, and my eyes widened at the sight of a beautifully crafted silver necklace inside. It was carved as a rose with angel-like wings on the side, and a very tiny snow halo above it.

"Did you steal this or something?" I asked, amazed.

Sorano twitched. "No! I used my magic!"

I turned to her in surprise. "You used magic? But how?!"

She smiled and held out a piece of silver in her hand. I watched as the silver glowed bright blue and morphed into the shape of a crown on her hand. Sorano grinned victoriously and winked as she placed the crown on her head.

"I decided Erika-nee!" she said as she struck a pose, her arms stretched down and her right leg folded behind her. "I'm going to be a Silver Claimer!"

I grinned. "That's great Sorano! You'll be able to do all kinds of cool stuff as a Silver Claimer!"

In case you live under a freaking rock and don't know what we're talking about, a Silver Claimer is a person who uses magic and controls anything silver. Which means that Sorano can morph any type of silver into any shapes and sizes, like weapons, shields, or possibly build a house made of Silver!

Yurika clapped her hands. "That's great Sorano! I can't wait for you to become a great Silver Claimer!" she said enthusiastically.

I laughed but stopped when I spotted Yukino looking down. I frowned when I heard her murmur, "Everyone can do magic… Sora nee-sama and Erika nee-sama… they're all so special… while I'm not… I'm different…"

I smiled and turned to Yukino. "Don't think like that Yukino." I said.

She looked up, surprised. My smile didn't drop.

"Everyone is special in their own way Yuki." I said. "No one is the same, everyone is different. We have different hair colors, eye colors, and personalities. We even have different magic types. Being different doesn't mean you won't excel at something. It just means that you haven't found something that you excel at!"

Yukino looked surprised. I gave her a wink. "So don't push yourself down, okay?" I added.

Slowly, I saw Yukino smile. She nodded slowly and gave me a determined expression. "Yes!" she said. "I'll look for a kind of magic that I can do! I can become a mage too!"

I gave her a thumbs-up. "That's the spirit!" I cheered.

"What are you waiting for Erika-nee?" I heard Sorano shout behind me. "If you don't hurry, I'll finish all the cake and pasta!"

"No! Don't you dare, Sorano!"

"Haha! Delicious!"

"Two can play at that game! Whoever can eat more cake gets the loser as a slave for a day!"

"You're on!"

* * *

I sat on the hillside that overlooks Cedar Town, watching as the clouds brush by. I silently enjoy the feeling of the wind softly caressing my sandy brown hair.

"Huh? So this is where you were,"

I blink and glance over my shoulder, only to spot Gladius walking towards me. I smiled at the sight of the said weapons spirit and give him a two fingered salute.

"Hi Gladius!"

He grins and sits beside me. Since I'm still fairly small as a 9 year old, Gladius takes me up from the sides and hoists me up on his lap. He pats my head and ruffles it slightly, much to my protest.

I have to admit, Gladius became more and more of a brotherly spirit for me. He's always visiting every Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays whenever he could. I would say that I summon him during that time, but he mostly passes the gate through his own free will.

I was pretty much surprised when I learned that he could do that. I thought that in order for a spirit to do that, the mage he or she was contracted with should at least have an impressive amount of magic power.

When he noted that he was a powerful spirit despite being a silver key, I only replied with a snicker. He answered back with a knuckle bashing on my head.

"So I hear it's your birthday today." He said.

I nodded. "Yup! Sorano made me a silver necklace while Yukino gave me a doll! I named the doll Michelle, by the way."

Gladius raised an eye brow. "How come?"

"Meh, I just felt like the name fits."

He laughs and reaches into his pocket. "I know that if your mom saw me giving you this, she would kick my ass, but…"

I raised my eyebrow in curiosity. Sure mom kicks his ass a lot for flirting with her a few times, but what other reason would she need to beat the crap out of him?

He took out a small sheathed dagger and handed it to me. I held the cold casing in my hands.

A few moments of silence passed by before I started freaking out. I played hot potato with the dagger, trying to decide whether or not to think that it was a dangerous weapon that could possibly end my life.

"Wah!" I cried, throwing the dagger straight at Gladius' forehead. It was a good thing it was sheathed, or things would've gone pretty ugly there.

"Hey! Don't just throw things randomly at people! And what the hell, it was a dagger!"

"Don't just give a 9 year old a dagger then! And besides, it was sheathed prissy pants!"

Gladius twitched before holding the dagger out to show me. "Listen, this dagger was the first weapon that I mastered ever since becoming a spirit. I decided to give it to you, you know, for defensive purposes."

I stared at him unsurely. "What did you mean by 'ever since becoming a spirit'?" I asked, giving him a suspicious glance. "You mean you weren't always a spirit before?"

Gladius stiffened, but laughed. "Hm, trust you never to let any details out of your sight." He said.

I stared. What did he mean by that? I was really curious. Maybe he used to be a human before?

"Don't worry about it," he said as he placed his gloved hand on my head. "Just focus on becoming a strong Celestial Spirit Mage and protecting the people you care about."

My face lit up. "I don't need to be reminded of that, you know! I can do it!" I said, cheering.

"Hm, I wonder if I should work on practicing how to do a forced gate closure," I noted to myself, placing my fingers around my chin.

Gladius raised an eyebrow. "Why would you need to do that?"

I turned to him. "Well, since you guys are too overprotective for you own good," Gladius twitched at that part. "Maybe it would be best for me to learn how. Most of you don't know how to stop, even when you're at your limit."

Gladius stared at me blankly. But then he sigh in defeat. "Yeah, you're probably right." He admitted with a shrug.

"I wonder how I'll be able to grow stronger in the future." I mused to myself.

"Just train your mind and your body." Gladius answered. "Most people know that a Celestial Wizard has two weaknesses."

I looked at him curiously. "What are those?"

"A Celestial Wizard's weaknesses are his or her own body, and their keys."

I raised an eyebrow. "I don't get it," I said, confused.

Gladius sigh. "Celestial Wizards use gate keys in order to summon their spirits. So if your opponent manages to take hold of you gate keys, your powerless."

I paled. "Yeah, that is true…" I better make sure no one takes my keys then… What if I'm fighting a pervert? Gah! Losing my keys in a situation like that!

"And then there is there body." Gladius continued. "Since Celestial Mages focus mostly on their magic power and summoning speed, they neglect their physical training. Which means that if your opponent is a close combat type, you'll lose."

"If I were you, I would train my body." Gladius added. "Since you're a girl, you'll be underestimated and would have a high chance of being taken advantage of."

I twitched my eye. "Was that an off-handed sexist comment?" I mumbled, clearly irritated.

"Well then, what should I do?" I asked. "I'm not exactly suited for combat."

Gladius smirked. "Nope, but there are things you can do other than punch and kick."

I tilted my head to the side. "Like?"

"Instead of brute strength and stamina, girls have agile and nimble bodies." Gladius explained. "This means that all you have to do is know how to dodge and learn a few acrobatic moves, and you can avoid being beaten to a bloody pulp."

He stood up from his spot in the grass. "How about it, Erika? Want to train so you won't die easily?"

"The way you say it makes me shiver…" I mumbled. "But yeah! I'll do it!"

An evil grin curled up his face. A magic circle appeared in front of him, and in a flash, a knife was aimed a few inches in front of me. I jumped up, alert and frightened.

"What the heck?!" I cried, spotting the knife gleaming.

Gladius held a bunch of daggers in between his fingers and had a cheeky expression. "Time for lesson 1! Dodge with every fiber of you being!" he announced, throwing all the daggers at once.

"Kyaaaa!" I yelled, running in circles, in hopes that I won't die.

"Are you trying to kill me?!"

"Oh come on! I'm helping you!"

"In what way?! And you shouldn't be doing this to your mage contractor!"

"You keep yappin' away, and I'll eventually hit your head!"

"MOMMY!"

* * *

I sat on my bed, looking at Michelle. She was such a peculiar doll, and even though she's just an inanimate object, I feel as if there was some sort of lively aura each time I play with her.

Sorano and Yukino went out to play with the other kids in town today, and I decided to stay back. I played with Michelle most of the time and made her clothes out of fabric and papers I found inside my desk drawer.

I smiled as I hugged Michelle and rubbed her against my cheek. "You're really pretty, Michelle!" I said before holding her out in front of me. "But you really look so familiar… Hm…"

My thoughts were interrupted when I heard a large explosion erupt nearby. I turned to the side where my window was and hurriedly ran towards it. I looked through the glass and saw many people screaming and running away in panic.

I saw a man hold a magic sword. He was dressed in an attire that anyone could consider weird. He wore a hat that covered his eyes, with a large symbol engraved on the front. He wore a tight shirt that did nothing to justify the fat he has and his large puffy lips were yelling, "COME BACK HERE! I'LL TURN YOU ALL INTO SLAVES!"

My heart beat picked up its pace. "Don't tell me that this is…!"

I ran downstairs and placed Michelle in my hoodie's pockets. I brought out my holster and attached it to my belt. I took my shoes and wore them before running out of the house.

I gasped as soon as I opened the door. The once tranquil and peaceful town I lived in was now in pure and utter chaos. Fires and smoke filled the air, and the screams of pain that resonated rang through my ears.

My heart was pumping too fast. My breathing was now mere pants and gasps. Nevertheless, I forced myself to run out of the house in search of anyone who could possibly explain to me the situation.

"Anyone!" I called as I ran. "Anyone! Answer me! Is anyone there?!"

I heard a groan. I stopped running when I spotted Yukino trying her best to push the rubble off Yurika.

I gasped. "Yurika! Yukino!"

They both turned to me. Yukino was crying, her hands and her knees covered with bruises. "Help me nee-sama!" Yukino pleaded, gesturing to Yurika who was trapped under the rubble.

I didn't need to reply. I ran to her side and held one of the pieces in my hands. I threw as much pieces of concrete I could. Yukino was as desperate. She was pushing all of the remains, trying her best to free her mother.

Yurika was in pain. She opened one of her eyes and looked at me and Yukino. Her gaze was weak, but her resolve wasn't.

She turned to me. "Erika, take Yukino and run." She rasped.

I looked at her in dismay. "What are you saying? I'm getting you out of here!"

I pushed another piece out of the way, but a huge wall had broken down in front of Yurika. I looked at Yukino. "Yuki! Help me out here!"

"O-okay!" Yukino said. She stood beside me and held the bottom of the huge slab of concrete.

"1, 2, 3!"

On three, both of us started pulling the concrete up. It was no use. It was too heavy for only two children to handle.

The palms of my hands were filled with cuts and blood, but I refused to give in. I have a chance to save Yurika, a chance. I didn't have a chance to save mom. I won't let her die. I won't let her die!

"Both of you! Hurry! Before those dark mages capture you!" Yurika cried.

I shook my head. "No!"

"I won't leave you mama!" Yukino said, pulling harder.

An explosion took place a few spaces behind us, startling all three of us together. Yukino sunk to her feet, holding her head. Her eyes were shut, but tears flowed down. "No… I don't like this… I want to go home… I don't want this!"

I turned to Yukino. She was acting like me, when mom died.

I bit my lower lip in frustration. "Damn it!" I cursed, clenching my fist. Tears spilled down, but I didn't sob.

"Oi, Bora! I think I heard someone here!"

I jerked my head up, spotting two shadows approaching us. My hands shook, but not because of anger but of fear.

"Erika, take Yukino." Yurika ordered. "You two have to at least escape. If there are no survivors, that cult of dark mages would only continue to attack other towns and cities."

"But—"

"This isn't the time!" Yurika snapped. "Take Yukino and run. Run as far as you can! Then when you reach somewhere safe, summon Asclepius to heal both of you. The rest you'll have to figure out on your own."

"I can't leave you here!" I protested, holding her hand. It was the only limb that wasn't trapped under the rubble.

She gave me a weak smile and pushed me away. "Go. I promised Eufelia that I won't let anything happen to you. Go!"

I sniffed. I turned around and held Yukino's wrist, running away towards another direction.

"Nee-sama?!" Yukino cried in surprise. "What are you doing? We have to rescue mama!"

"We can't!" I argued. If we do, we'll get caught by those mages and we won't be able to escape!"

I could feel Yukino's anger without even turning around. "I'm going to save mama! With or without you!"

Without even registering what I was doing, I turned around and slapped Yukino across the face. She was shocked so much that she stood still.

"Take a good look at the situation Yukino!" I yelled. I gestured to the once beautiful Cedar Town, which was now crumbling and in ruins. Fire and smoke surrounded us, and the people were gone.

"Everyone we know is gone!" I cried, tears streaming down my cheeks.

"A group of people who are so people we can't comprehend… No one could've stood a chance… Not even me!" I said, looking down. "I… I don't… I don't want anyone's sacrifice to be in vain… I want to save everyone… that's why I learned magic! But we won't be able to do anything if we're also captured! The least we could do is run."

With that said, I started running away. Yukino followed beside me, and I could feel her stare piercing me. The tears were still there, but I didn't cry. It was just spilling down my cheeks. I couldn't stop it. Just like how I couldn't stop this.

Yukino looked down as we ran. "I'm sorry, nee-sama." She said softly. "I should've realized that this is painful for you too… to abandon mama and the town even though you have magic…"

"Where is Sorano?" I asked, changing the topic.

Yukino didn't answer. She didn't need to. I could tell from the devastated look on her face what happened. I didn't push the topic further.

We ran. We ran farther and farther, in hopes of escaping. That was all we could do. We ran and ran, not knowing where fate would lead us.

I was a coward. All I could do was run. Run away from everything.

Finally, a strangled scream escaped my throat. Yukino didn't react. She expected it.

"Damn it all to hell!"

* * *

**[A/N:] I love updates! Don't you? :3**

**I'm sorta sad that most of my readers won't review. :( But nevertheless, I'll still continue to write this story for my sake too. **

**Also, I worked up enough motivation to draw a picture of Erika when she's 17. I'm working on a picture on her current age, and I hope you guys will check it out in my deviantart account! xD**

**The link to my deviantart is located in my profile. Just click it, and you'll see Erika's picture as a featured deviation. :)**

**See ya guys later~**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

We sat on the ground, staring at the fire with dull and lifeless eyes.

We ran as far as we could, and thank goodness we weren't caught by those mages. Although we had a few close calls, such as a few mages searching the places where me and Yukino were hiding. It was a good thing the hound dogs weren't with them, or we'd be goners.

My stomach rumbled. I pulled my knees closer to my chest. "So hungry." I mumbled.

"Nee-sama…" Yukino said. "What are we going to do now?"

I looked at Yukino. It pained me to see the once cheerful yet shy girl act depressed and sullen. Her body was covered with bruises and some parts of her clothes were torn off.

I was in no better shape. The palms of my hands had so much cuts and bruises that blood had seeped out of them. It had dried into crusty red stains, but the pain was still there. My body had a few bruises and dirt from running and tripping along the way here.

I stood up and took out a key from my holster. "Sitting here and sulking won't do anything," I stated as I held the key in front of me.

"**Open! Gate of the Healer! Asclepius!**"

A large magic circle appeared before me, and soon a woman had taken its place. She wore gypsy-like clothing. Her hair was dark, which was decorated in all sorts of hair ornaments. She wore a green tube top that was connected to a large gold necklace she had around her neck. She had a transparent piece of silk connected to her fingers that was laced around her pants. She ballet shoes and her eyes were sparkling jade.

"You summoned me, mistress?" Asclepius said as she bowed slightly.

I managed a small smile. I had already completed my contract with most of my spirits. The only ones I haven't summoned yet as Pisces, because my magic power couldn't support summoning a zodiac gate for a long period of time.

"Can you please heal the both of us? We're covered in bruises." I said.

Asclepius nodded. Two green magic circles appeared beneath both me and Yukino's feet. I heard the sound of a pleasant hum as the magic circles turned around and around, healing us.

"This is such a warm feeling," Yukino said, awed.

I nodded. "Asclepius' abilities are using her magic power in order to accelerate one's healing process. She can also reverse her abilities and steal another's magic power."

Yukino smiled. "That's amazing, nee-sama."

I smiled. It was hard to pretend that I was alright, but Yukino didn't need to know that it hurts. She was only a child. Also, despite my appearances and no matter how hard I try to forget, I am only a child in this world. I am still an adult. No matter how hard I want to forget my past, it will never stop haunting me.

This is for Yukino. I have to be strong.

"First we have to contract the army. No doubt that the chaos and magic power released back in the town at least attracted their attention." I said once Asclepius finished healing both of us.

Yukino nodded. "But how will we do that?"

"We have to find another town nearby." I answered. I turned to Asclepius and gave her a nod. "Thank you. You can go back now."

Asclepius nodded. "As you wish." She said as she disappeared.

I turned to Yukino. "We'll definitely survive, Yukino. I'll become a strong mage and protect you, and so that no one will ever die in my eyes. I'll become so strong, everyone will never look down on us again!"

Yukino smiled. "Yeah!"

I smiled. "And I promise. I promise that I'll definitely find Sorano."

Yukino's smile dropped. "But Sorano… she was captured… she might even…"

"That won't happen," I assured her. "Sorano may be a pain, but she'll never give up. She's definitely alive. We just have to find her."

Yukino stared at me unsurely. "But…"

I pouted. "Hey, have I ever broken a promise before?"

Yukino looked at me, and slowly she managed a smile. "No. I trust you, nee-sama. We'll find Sorano nee-san. And I'll be there to help too."

I looked at Yukino in surprise. "You don't have to! I can do it—"

"No." Yukino said. "You've been doing everything for me and Sorano nee-san. I… I'm not able to do anything."

"Yukino,"

"I want to be strong too!" Yukino said. "I want to be strong and protect the people I care about! I don't want to be a crybaby for the rest of my life!"

I stared at Yukino. When I looked at her face, I was somehow looking at myself. This was how I looked like when mama died. This is how I felt when I lost everything.

I smiled. "Yeah. Let's become strong together."

Yukino nodded. "Yes!"

* * *

We wandered around the forest, and after a week of searching, we finally reached another town.

It was much like Cedar Town, only larger and more province looking. Both me and Yukino stood out like sore thumbs, with our ragged clothes and our dirty faces. We were met with a number of weird glances, but I didn't mind. Yukino, however, wasn't used to the attention and preferred to stay close to me.

We reached one of the army stations. There was a huge fuss, with so many people running around, carrying reports and papers. Some were shouting orders and others were frantically doing their best to follow them.

"Hurry! We must contact the Council! The attack on Cedar Town should've reached them by now! We must send a search party to find any survivors!"

"There's no need for that."

Everyone turned their eyes on me and Yukino, who stood on the doorway. "My name is Erika Roswell, and I am a survivor from Cedar Town. Other than my companion, Yukino Aguria, there are no more survivors. They had either died, or were captured by the Zeref worshippers."

All of their faces turned into devastated shock.

"Zeref worshippers?!"

"They're still active?!"

"Wait, if a dark cult attacked the town, then how did both of you survive?" a guard asked warily.

All eyes turned on us. Yukino hid behind me. I looked down, pondering whether I should answer that or not.

"There's no need to bring back memories from a horrible experience," a voice sad from behind.

Yukino and I turned around, spotting a man who wore a slightly different attire that the rune knights to use to stay in Cedar Town. It was the attire of a commanding officer.

"Take these two children to a doctor, and see if there is anything we can do." He ordered in a loud voice. He turned to both of us, and surprisingly, he gave us a reassuring smile.

I watched warily as he walked away. When he did, the people around us resumed their work, contacting authorities and working their way to figure out what was going on.

I sigh in relief. At least we weren't being noticed now.

* * *

Aside from the fact that I'm a mage-in-training, the council weren't interested in me at all.

I guess that was expected. They should be more worried about what happened to Cedar Town than about two homeless children. It's just another addition to the local orphanages to feed.

I thought it was good enough to stay in an orphanage, but Yukino didn't want to. She said that an orphanage was a place where children with no families stay. She said she still has her family, so she refused.

I couldn't do anything to convince her anymore, so I decided to start working up my title and train myself as a proper mage. I placed the thought of joining a guild into consideration, but I shook my head. It would be better if I was a freelance mage, even though I still won't be considered a full-fledged one.

The Council and authorities questioned us (well, me only) about the events in Cedar town for a whole week. After that, they didn't bother anymore. I was sort of glad. If the Council would put their attention to me, I think my name would be known to everyone. And not in a good way.

I practiced summoning spirits, since it was the only magic I'm trained to do. Libra and Gladius were the only combat spirits I've contracted with. I've already made contact with both Caelum and Asclepius. I haven't formed a contract with my other spirits, but I'm planning to do that sometime later.

I thought at first that renting a place for me and Yukino would be expensive and hard for two children, but it turns out whether you're a child or not it was fine with anyone to rent a place. As long as they have money and they obey the rules, no one is stopping us.

We rented a small space with two rooms. The furniture was already there when we rented it, but it was only few. The main room was where both of our beds are. We shared on big wardrobe, since we didn't have enough money for loads of clothes yet. The second room was the bathroom. It was a plain and simple shower.

Today, I decided to try and do some random jobs and grab some money. Since we had some money given to us by a few people who pitied our situation, Yukino and I bought to clean outfits.

I only had two outfits; a light red backless sundress that had a neck collar and armlets with it, and my red sweater, which I wore while I ran from the town. My pjs were just a simple white shirt and shorts.

Yukino had two outfits also; a light blue sundress and a dark blue sweater in case it was cold. Her pjs were the same as mine.

I chose the light sundress and wore simple shoes. I grabbed my holster and attached it to the waist of my dress.

I turned to Yukino, who was busying herself by making the bed and cleaning the room. "Yukino! I'll head out now."

Yukino turned to me and nodded. "Okay. Take care nee-sama."

I smiled and walked downstairs. The town we were staying in was only locat, so it didn't have much impact on the land. It was mainly a town for travelers, but for me and Yukino, that wasn't the case.

I looked around, and spotted a man holding a paper in his hand. He had a depressed expression on his face, and from the bag he was carrying in his hand, it seemed as if he was readying himself to travel.

I quirked my eyebrow up in curiosity. Maybe that was a request for a guild? Perhaps I can complete it!

"Excuse me sir!" I called out, running towards the man.

He was middle-aged, with some gray hairs sticking out on his head. He looked rather frail, but I knew that looks could sometimes be deceiving since this man was planning to travel alone.

"Yes little child? May I help you?" he asked.

I shook my head. "No sir, may I help you? It looks like that's a job request for guilds you have. Are you asking someone to complete a job?"

"Why yes," the man said. "But why would you be curious about it?"

I grinned. "I was wondering if I could take it!"

He blinked and gave me a look of disbelief. "That's impossible!" he said. "Child, my request is far out of the league of children."

"What is your request?" I asked, struggling not to react over how he called me a child. Despite my appearances, I am older than I seem to be!

He looked at me before sighing. "My son has lost a silver ring engraved with a red stone because of a group of thieves." He said. "He worked so hard to buy it, and yet he was robbed. He was going to use that to propose to his beloved, but now he is too ashamed to do so."

I made a face. "Ouch." I stated. "But don't worry! I'll do it for you! I may not look like it, but I'm a mage as well!"

"You are a mage?" he asked, surprised.

I nodded. "Yes. Say, if I take and complete this request, what will the reward cash be?"

"80,000 jewels my dear." He answered, showing me the flier.

I gaped. 80,000 jewels? That's enough to pay for this month's rent, and still have 5000 jewels left for ourselves!

I grabbed the flier and darted off. "I won't let you down, mister!"

"Wait!" he called, but I was already off.

I glanced over my shoulder, spotting him giving me a sign of good luck. I smiled at him and waved as I ventured off into the forest.

* * *

"Um… a group of thieves… only three of them? Hm… each don't have any magic power?"

I grinned. "Well, Gladius would beat them up easily. I can't believe that was an easy 80,000 jewels!"

I heard a scoff behind me. "A little kid is hunting us down? How pathetic!"

I scowled and turned around, placing the flier inside my pocket. I held my holster dearly in my right hand, narrowing my eyes. "Who's there? Show yourself!"

Three shadows appeared in front of me, each having a deadly and dark aura. For some strange reason, all of their eyes were glowing bright yellow and their grins were seen. What confused was how come they were able to make their grins and eyes seen like that, yet cover their entire bodies in the shadows? And wait, its noon! It shouldn't be this dark in the first place!

"Huh? A Celestial Spirit Mage?" one of them said, looking at the key holster I held.

Another laughed. "Bah! She's just a kid. It's not like she'll be able to stop us."

I narrowed my eyes and pulled out Caelum's key. "Mage or not, I'll never forgive those who target the defenseless for selfish reasons!" I cried, glaring at the trio in front of me.

The middle smirked. "Really?"

I was about to retort when suddenly, three fists hit me square on the jaw. My teeth collided with each other and the pain was electrifying.

I fell down on my back, the pain vibrating through my chin. I used my elbow to prop myself up and hold my chin delicately. "What was that?" I asked myself out loud as I stood up slowly.

"Shadow Magic,"

I looked at them with confusion written on my face. "Shadow Magic?" I repeated.

The middle one nodded. "Your request information is wrong! It's true that two of my buds can't use magic, but I can! That's how we're able to steal stuff without anyone figuring out!"

"I see," I said as I slowly began to understand. My chin was still tingling in pain, but I managed place that matter aside. I raised my key in front of me. "Then all I have to do is defeat you and I can get my reward money!"

"**Open! Gate of the Chisel! Caelum!**"

A magic circle appeared, and soon enough the sphere shaped spirit did as well. Though it looked like a mechanic robot, Caelum was still a spirit and had a free mind of his own. Er, I mean 'it'. Apparently, Caelum gets offended whenever someone refers it to a specific gender when its really just a robot.

"Caelum! Attack the one in the center!" I cried, pointing to the said man.

"It's useless," he said. A dark magic circle appeared below his feet before a series of shadows bounced off the ground and towards me and Caelum.

"**Shadow Knuckle!**"

Thanks to Gladius' training, I managed to narrowly avoid all of the attacks by jumping back and away from its attacking range. Caelum, thank goodness, avoided the attack by levitating off the ground. Lucky spirit!

"Blast him!" I said. Caelum reverted into cannon form. Green magic energy was concentrated into the cannon.

The blast headed straight towards the man. A huge cloud of smoke obscured my view, but it slowly disappeared. I was hoping I would be able to take him out with one shot, but to my dismay, that wasn't the case.

A huge dark shield was in front of my opponent. The shield's magic dispersed and cracked. Though he used a defensive magic, he still looked injured. It looks like Caelum's shock from the blast affected him after all!

"Wow Caelum!" I cried, looking at my spirit with awe. "You're so powerful!"

Caelum beeped happily. Or, what I think was happily. I don't know.

"**Shadow Shield.**" The man murmured before standing up.

"I gotta admit girly," he said with a slight smirk. "Not bad. But this is as far as you go!" he yelled before slamming his fist in the ground.

"**Shadow Art: Shadow Trap!**"

My opponent's shadow stretched out in front of me and connected with mine. All of a sudden, I lost control of my body. It was like a bunch of invisible ropes were tied around me, disabling my mobility.

"What the heck?!" I cried in annoyance as I struggled to move my arms and legs.

The thief laughed. "Now you can't go anywhere and I can attack you all I want! **Shadow Punch!**"

"Aaah!" I cried as a huge shadow fist formed from beneath me and punched me in the cheek. I could almost imagine it bruising.

I struggled to turn my head to the right, where Caelum is. "Caelum! Blast now!" I ordered.

Caelum beeped in response, and soon enough he was charging another blast of concentrated energy.

The man scoffed. "**Shadow Whip!**"

Three whips appeared behind Caelum, smashing against its sphere-like shape. It interrupted the charging process, so the blast didn't make it.

I was horrified, seeing my spirits in pieces. "CAELUM!"

Caelum's body disappeared. I sigh in relief, knowing that it escaped to the spirit world. But now what was I going to do? I only have enough magic power to summon another silver key! If I summon a golden key, I would die from magic drain!

"No choice then." I murmured before forcing my hand into my holster.

The man laughed. "Ha! Even if you could find a spirit, you wouldn't be able to do anything because I'll crush that spirit again!"

I smirked before holding another silver key in my hand. "I wonder about that!" I said with a smug look on my face. The silver key shone, and a magic circle hovered above me.

"**Open! Gate of the Weapons Bearer! Gladius!**"

In an instant, Gladius appeared. He was dressed in his usual attire; a brown muscle shirt with a tight collar around his neck and light brown trousers and boots. He wore gloves on his hands, similar to Gajeel's and three piercings on his left eyebrow. His eyes held a murderous gaze, which was directed on the thief.

"Hey bastard, what do you think you're doing to my owner?" Gladius demanded in a low voice.

I grinned. "Gladius is one of my most dependable spirits! Don't think you can go and defeat the bearer of weapons!"

The man was slightly unnerved, but he summoned another magic circle in front of him.

"**Shadow Strike!**"

A barrage of shadow attacks were aimed directly at Gladius. The said spirit stood his ground before all of the shadows were sliced and pulverized.

The man blinked in disbelief. "What the—?!"

In front of me, Gladius stood with a spear. It was like a gigantic arrow, only that it was glistening in the sunlight.

"Silver Ray!" Gladius said as he settled the spear in front of him. "This is the weapon forged by the greatest Silver Claimer. And with this, I'm going to beat the crap outta ya!"

The thief was frozen for a moment, and Gladius took this chance to attack. He swiped the Silver Ray at him in a number of times, beating up the poor soul.

The two other thieves behind him cowered in fear. "He defeated Miki as if it was nothing!" one of them squeaked.

"Tch, if you're this weak, don't bother attacking anyone weaker!" Gladius said in mild irritation.

He directed his glare towards the two thieves, who I was afraid might pee in their paints since Gladius' glare was pretty scary. "Oi. Where's the silver ring embedded with a red stone?" he asked, well, demanded.

The two shoved their arms inside the sacks they were carrying, looking for the said item. Soon, they found it and handed it over the Gladius.

Gladius grinned and turned to me. "Here ya go li'l missy." He said as he placed the ring in my hand.

I smiled at him. "Thanks for saving me, Gladius!"

He shrugged. "Nah, you know I'll always save ya. Not like my li'l missy can take care of herself yet." He said as she gave me a noogie.

"Hey! Stop that!" I cried, but with a smile.

Gladius then turned to the two thieves, and gave them a piercing glare. "If you dare show your faces here again, I will chop off your genitals and burn them. Got it?!"

"Y-yes sir!" they cried, dragging their unconscious comrade as they ran away deep into the forest.

I sweat dropped. "Yikes, you didn't have to warn them with that kind of threat. It hurts just think about it!"

"Oi, you're a girl. You shouldn't be thinking about it." Gladius scolded.

I shrugged. "Fair enough!"

* * *

I ran back to town with the ring in my hand. Gladius had already returned to the spirit world so I'll be able to recover my magic power, but it doesn't mean that my wounds and injuries were healed.

I thought that I could summon Asclepius sometime later, but the request comes first!

I found the man waiting outside his house. I smiled and waved, calling him out. "Mister! Mister! I got the ring!"

The man looked up, slightly surprised to see me. His eyes grew wide as his gaze turned to the ring I held in my hand.

"The ring!" he cried as he stood up from his place and walked towards me.

Despite the stinging pain, I managed a bright smile and placed the ring on the man's hand. "There you go!" I said as I placed my hands on my hips.

He stared at the ring for a few moments before tears swelled up in his eyes. He held the ring in his hand and placed his hands on my shoulders.

"Thank you!" he said happily. "Thank you!"

I winced but managed a weak smile. "Er, yeah, uh, can you please not tighten your grip? I'm sort of wounded here…"

He ignored me and stared at the ring. "Now I can finally greet my granddaughter into this world!"

I looked at him in confusion. "Granddaughter?"

The door behind him swung open, revealing a man and a woman waiting inside. She had a swollen belly, a sign that she was pregnant and a gentle smile on her face. Beside her, the man was supporting the woman as she stood on her place.

"Father? What is all this noise?" the man asked.

The father smiled towards his son and revealed the ring placed on his palm. His son's eyes widened. "That's the ring!" he exclaimed in shock.

The woman beside him looked at everyone in confusion. "I do not understand. What is going on?"

I raised my hand, deciding to answer that. "Grandpa over here made a request to retrieve a ring from a bunch of thieves. The ring that I was sent to bring back is a ring that he will use to propose to you!" I said with a smile.

The woman's eyes widened as she turned to her beloved. "Is this true, Klein?" she asked.

The man, who I assumed was named Klein, nodded. He let go of the woman and took the ring from his father's hand. He then walked back to the woman and knelt down on one knee, holding out her hand and held the ring in the other.

"Noel, would you marry me?" he asked softly, his eyes directed at Noel.

Noel's eyes were glassy with tears. She nodded, and slowly did Klein slip in the ring on her ring finger. He stood up from his place and kissed Noel on the lips.

I couldn't help it. I squealed and gave both of them a thumbs up. "Congratulations both of you!" I said with a wink.

The couple laughed. Noel smiled, but it vanished when she stared at my wounds. "Such horrible injuries! Did the thieves do this to you?"

I looked at my arm and examined a huge bruise. I hid it behind my back and grinned, waving it off. "It's nothing important! Just focus on living your lives to the fullest and give that baby of yours a reason to laugh every day!"

Klein smiled. "Thank you for retrieving the ring."

I grinned slyly. "Yes, yes, but about that reward…?"

He blinked before laughing. He turned to his father and gestured to me. The old man chuckled light heartedly and handed me a small brown sack. I opened it and my jaw dropped when I saw money inside.

I sniffed a bit and held the old man's wrinkled hand. "Thank you, for you kind consideration towards this poor girl!" I said in a dramatic way. I added tears and a pouty face for an effect.

"We should be thanking you, er… what's your name?" Klein asked me.

I grinned. "Erika Roswell." I answered before turning around and darting off.

Though I was running, I was still facing the family behind. "Call me sometime if you have another request, okay?!" I called.

They waved at me. I stopped running and turned around, facing the old man. "Hey old mister!" I called, gesturing the middle-aged man. "What's your name?"

"Oliver." He answered.

"Well see you again sometime, Mister Oliver!" I called before running back home.

* * *

I closed the door behind me and entered our apartment. "I'm back!"

Yukino was reading a book on her bed and smiled when she saw me. But it slowly turned into a frown when she took note of my injuries.

"Nee-sama!" Yukino cried as she scampered towards me. "Those wounds! How did you get those?"

I laughed nervously. "I took a job request and ended up with a bit more bruises than I expected."

"Bruises?! You're beaten up!" Yukino exclaimed comically.

I waved it off. "Calm down Yukino. I'll summon Asclepius!"

"You shouldn't do that," Yukino advised with a frown. "I'm sorry nee-sama, but even if summoning Asclepius doesn't take much magic power, you still need to rest. Your body might not be able to handle it."

I pouted, but I knew Yukino was right. Even if I could summon two spirits in a battle, I still have to keep my magic power in check. Two silver spirits consumed most of my power, and I can only imagine what summoning one of the golden spirits could do to my body.

I sigh and flopped to bed, feeling drowsy. I yawned and snuggled my head pillow, burying my face into the soft fabric.

"Nightie nightie Yukino." I murmured before closing my eyes.

"**Soon child. The memory of the fallen shall rise, and your power will be used against those you love.**"

I snapped my eyes open and bolted up. Yukino was on her bed, continuing her reading before she noticed me. "What's wrong nee-sama?" she asked curiously.

"Did you hear that?" I asked her.

Yukino looked at me in confusion. "Hear what? Nothing happened."

She didn't hear it? I exhaled, relaxing myself and hugging the pillow tighter. My eyebrows were knitted in confusion. I didn't feel drowsy anymore. My body was tense and rigid.

"The memory of the fallen shall rise… and your power will be used against those you love?" I repeated in a low voice.

What did that mean? I asked myself. I shook my head from my thoughts, deciding that I was way too tired and now I was hearing things. I laid down on my bed again, and slowly closed my eyes.

Little did I know, that very sentence would haunt me for the rest of my life.

* * *

**[A/N:] **Hello! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It was pretty hard since I was struck by writer's block while writing this (I hate you writer block!), but I beat the crap outta that mothereffa, and here's the result.

Also, I posted yet another Fairy Tail self-insert because of randomness and because I was bored. So what are you waiting for? Go to my profile and read that too! If you can, leave a comment on what you want to happen next!

Well, that's all I have to say for now. See ya!

**Reviews are love~ **


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